The patient in this photograph is 21 years old. She is of Palestinian descent andliving in the United States. In order to adhere to cultural and familial expectationsregarding her virginity and marriage, she underwent hymenoplasty. Without it shefeared she would be rejected by her future husband and bring shame upon her family.She flew in secret to Florida where the operation was performed by Dr. BernardStern, a plastic surgeon she located on the internet.The purpose of hymenoplasty is to reconstruct a ruptured hymen, the membranewhich partially covers the opening of the vagina. It is an outpatient procedurewhich takes approximately 30 minutes and can be done under local orintravenous anesthesia.The hymen has not been proven to serve any biological function. Some girls areborn with an imperforate hymen. Rupture most often occurs during first intercourse,but some girls tear their hymen during sports activities or as a result of injuries. Themajority of the time there is a correlation between an intact hymen and a woman'svirginity; many cultures view the tearing of the hymen as a critical symbol of thatloss. While similar attempts to alter the hymen predate modern plastic surgery,hymenoplasty is now just one of several vaginal cosmetic surgeries that are growingin popularity worldwide. Dr. Stern charges $3,500 for hymenoplasty. He alsoperforms labiaplasty and vaginal rejuvenation.